Chapter 9 - The Apology

I took three days to decide. At last, I called Lila. “I’ll speak with Rachel,” I said. “I want you there, and I want to be able to leave when I’m ready.” We met by video. Rachel appeared on the screen. “I’m sorry for how I treated you,” Rachel said. “Your boarding pass was valid. I should have checked it instead of telling you to move.”

She swallowed. “I told myself I was solving a possible seating error. I was wrong. I looked at you and made an assumption before I did my job.” “That’s what I experienced,” I said. “I understand why you don’t trust an apology from me.” “I wanted you to say it plainly. You have.” “I embarrassed you in front of a full cabin.” “Yes.”

“When Marcus came out,” I said, “you told him you didn’t know I was his mother. I have thought about that more than anything else. If he hadn’t recognized me, would you have looked at my pass?” Rachel was quiet for so long that I thought the connection had failed. “I can’t promise I would have,” she said finally. “That’s why I needed to face what I did.” It was a painful answer. I believed it.

The airline’s final notice arrived the following week. Rachel was no longer employed there. The company had also changed the process for reporting and reviewing cabin complaints. Imani’s earlier report was now part of a formal review. Mr. Alvarez received his own written apology. I was relieved. I felt sad that it had taken two passengers and a video for those reports to be heard.

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Marcus worried I would see the outcome as something he had caused. “You didn’t make her say those things,” I told him. “You made sure somebody checked my ticket. Then we all gave our accounts.” A week later, Zoe moved into her dorm. On the drive back, Marcus said, “You could stay near us awhile longer.” “I’ll go home next week,” I said. “Then I’ll visit more often.” That night, I placed Samuel’s letter back in Marcus’s hands. “It belongs with you,” I said. “Dad wrote that he hoped you’d see me fly,” he said. “I did.” “Maybe next time it can be an easier trip.” “I’d like that.”